An interview with Lee Worley, conducted in 2016, discussing the history of contemplative arts at Naropa University, and the relationship between contemplative practices and performer training.
Developing organizing principles for training actors in improvisational forms, Worley turns to Asian philosophies and Tibetan Buddhism for contemplative approaches and some hints at alternatives to the usual audience/actor relationship.
Under the guidance of its founder, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, she began studying Mudra Space Awareness in 1974 and is one of a handful of authorized Mudra teachers. This work formed the basis of her Contemplative Performance training method. A practioner of Vajrayana Buddhism, she is one of four 'Mitras' (Spiritual Friends) in the Buddhist sangha of Nalandabodhi directed by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche. Mitra Lee has written two books: Coming From Nothing: the Sacred Art of Acting (2001) and Teaching Presence: Field Notes for Players (2018).
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